So I’ve brewed about 4-5 beers with my set up with some pretty good success, but the only thing I always have an issue with come brew day is my sparge. I run an autosparge with 2 riptide pumps, but no matter how partial I leave the valve closed I can’t quite dial in how slow I need to sparge my wort to the BK. I’ve talk to some friends who have had luck with grants, but idk how much I love the idea with my set up. I’ve been thinking about getting an ultimate sparge arm and using that to slowly add wort to my BK, but I also don’t like the thought of it clogging/not working. Anyone have any advice/alternative solutions?
Slowing my sparge process
- Thread starter Jim Noto
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fwiw, I've been running an autosparge on my 3v2p rig for years, and love it. Makes fly sparging easy as pie - as long as the run-off rate works for your rig. In my case, slightly under 1 quart per minute will get close to 90% mash efficiency, and while as a result gathering the 14 gallon pre-boil volume takes quite a chunk of time, I can catch up on the day's reading 
In short, I would not focus on the autosparge valve as it's simply a mechanism to balance the ins and outs on the mash tun. If there's a lautering issue it's unlikely due to the autosparge. And it does have the advantage of not air-dropping sparge liquor, which will pick up more O2 versus a submerged tube...
Cheers!
In short, I would not focus on the autosparge valve as it's simply a mechanism to balance the ins and outs on the mash tun. If there's a lautering issue it's unlikely due to the autosparge. And it does have the advantage of not air-dropping sparge liquor, which will pick up more O2 versus a submerged tube...
Cheers!
Right. I should have been more specific, my autosparge works great, I run a riptide pump from MT to BK, and it just pulls so fast that no matter how much I mess with the valves it’s always moving the liquid way to fast.fwiw, I've been running an autosparge on my 3v2p rig for years, and love it. Makes fly sparging easy as pie - as long as the run-off rate works for your rig. In my case, slightly under 1 quart per minute will get close to 90% mash efficiency, and while as a result gathering the 14 gallon pre-boil volume takes quite a chunk of time, I can catch up on the day's reading
In short, I would not focus on the autosparge valve as it's simply a mechanism to balance the ins and outs on the mash tun. If there's a lautering issue it's unlikely due to the autosparge. And it does have the advantage of not air-dropping sparge liquor, which will pick up more O2 versus a submerged tube...
Cheers!
I'm a bit surprised - most folks have raved about the "linear valve" on their Riptides. It's been tempting to switch from my March 815pl's with @Bobby_M's ball valves on their outputs, but, otoh, there have been a few times quickly flipping a ball valve lever has mitigate a potentially epic mess vs putting multiple turns on a valve knob
Anyway....you should only be adjusting the valve on the wort-side pump. The sparge-side pump can be left wide open, allowing the autosparge valve to control its flow rate. I believe that Riptide valve can be totally closed off, so you should be able to find the sweet spot. Also, I don't use a flow meter as I don't have a solid/safe place to put one on my rig, but there are folks that do, and perhaps that might be helpful to find that perfect lautering rate...
Cheers!
Anyway....you should only be adjusting the valve on the wort-side pump. The sparge-side pump can be left wide open, allowing the autosparge valve to control its flow rate. I believe that Riptide valve can be totally closed off, so you should be able to find the sweet spot. Also, I don't use a flow meter as I don't have a solid/safe place to put one on my rig, but there are folks that do, and perhaps that might be helpful to find that perfect lautering rate...
Cheers!
I love my riptide for everything, except the sparge, and my real problem is my own inexperience with the pump I guess lol. I’ve just read that If your sparge process is too fast you risk extracting tannins that lead to off flavors, I’m just trying to get my best efficiency out of my mashing process.I'm a bit surprised - most folks have raved about the "linear valve" on their Riptides. It's been tempting to switch from my March 815pl's with @Bobby_M's ball valves on their outputs, but, otoh, there have been a few times quickly flipping a ball valve lever has mitigate a potentially epic mess vs putting multiple turns on a valve knob
Anyway....you should only be adjusting the valve on the wort-side pump. The sparge-side pump can be left wide open, allowing the autosparge valve to control its flow rate. I believe that Riptide valve can be totally closed off, so you should be able to find the sweet spot. Also, I don't use a flow meter as I don't have a solid/safe place to put one on my rig, but there are folks that do, and perhaps that might be helpful to find that perfect lautering rate...
Cheers!
Sparging speed won't affect tannins. Extraction of tannins is due to pH becoming too high (>6), and can be eliminated by acidifying the sparge water to a pH of ~5.6.
Fast sparging can reduce lauter efficiency if you get channeling. Channeling is when the sparge water finds low flow resistance paths thru the grain bed, such that not all of the grain gets rinsed.
Brew on
That’s some good info to know, thanks for that!Sparging speed won't affect tannins. Extraction of tannins is due to pH becoming too high (>6), and can be eliminated by acidifying the sparge water to a pH of ~5.6.
Fast sparging can reduce lauter efficiency if you get channeling. Channeling is when the sparge water finds low flow resistance paths thru the grain bed, such that not all of the grain gets rinsed.
Brew on
You shouldn't need to add any additional gadgets to your auto sparge and riptide pumps. I've been using them for a couple of years now. It took me several brew sessions to figure it all out but after I did, as @day_trippr says, it's easy as pie.
Anyone know of an in-line SG meter that can handle run-off temperatures?
That would be so handy to have, because when you think about it, you don't know whether you are channeling the heck out of the grain bed when fly sparging until you've collected your pre-boil volume in the kettle and do your gravity check. And as pretty much everything hinges on hitting pre-boil volume and gravity, that's the most dramatic instant in the brew day for me.
With a fancy, resilient in line SG meter and some hands-on experience over a couple of brews one could plot out an expected gravity curve and if the real time data is divergent in a bad direction provide the opportunity to recover before one ends up with a kettle full of wimpy wort - or, conversely, be reassured, constantly, to the end of run off
Cheers!
That would be so handy to have, because when you think about it, you don't know whether you are channeling the heck out of the grain bed when fly sparging until you've collected your pre-boil volume in the kettle and do your gravity check. And as pretty much everything hinges on hitting pre-boil volume and gravity, that's the most dramatic instant in the brew day for me.
With a fancy, resilient in line SG meter and some hands-on experience over a couple of brews one could plot out an expected gravity curve and if the real time data is divergent in a bad direction provide the opportunity to recover before one ends up with a kettle full of wimpy wort - or, conversely, be reassured, constantly, to the end of run off
Cheers!
that’s actually a really good point! I’m gonna look into that!Anyone know of an in-line SG meter that can handle run-off temperatures?
That would be so handy to have, because when you think about it, you don't know whether you are channeling the heck out of the grain bed when fly sparging until you've collected your pre-boil volume in the kettle and do your gravity check. And as pretty much everything hinges on hitting pre-boil volume and gravity, that's the most dramatic instant in the brew day for me.
With a fancy, resilient in line SG meter and some hands-on experience over a couple of brews one could plot out an expected gravity curve and if the real time data is divergent in a bad direction provide the opportunity to recover before one ends up with a kettle full of wimpy wort - or, conversely, be reassured, constantly, to the end of run off
Cheers!
Yeah I guess I gotta just dial it in a little better. I’m just trying to be in a good position plan-wise before I take on another 10 gallon NEIPA again, because that was painstaking
A vibrating "U"-tube density meter might be able to take the temperatures involved. I haven't looked into their temp limits. They aren't cheap however.Anyone know of an in-line SG meter that can handle run-off temperatures?
That would be so handy to have, because when you think about it, you don't know whether you are channeling the heck out of the grain bed when fly sparging until you've collected your pre-boil volume in the kettle and do your gravity check. And as pretty much everything hinges on hitting pre-boil volume and gravity, that's the most dramatic instant in the brew day for me.
With a fancy, resilient in line SG meter and some hands-on experience over a couple of brews one could plot out an expected gravity curve and if the real time data is divergent in a bad direction provide the opportunity to recover before one ends up with a kettle full of wimpy wort - or, conversely, be reassured, constantly, to the end of run off
Cheers!
Brew on
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